Beyond Barriers
by Archangel Barton
Summary: [RuSen; Oneshot; For V-day Challenge 2005] Love isn't merely passion or desire. It's not just the spark neither is it the flame. Love is a choice. To love is a decision.


Title: **Beyond Barriers  
**Author: Archangel  
Pairing: RuSen  
Genre: Sap  
Type: Oneshot

Dedications: This is for Feng and Hikaru as well as to the SenRu-mons.  
Summary: Love isn't merely passion or desire. It's not just the spark neither is it the flame. Love is a choice. To love is a decision.

**Beyond Barriers  
**by Archangel

Rukawa's POV

It's painfully hard to imagine that Sendoh Akira is Rukawa Kaede's best friend. You know, the dreaded enemy from high school, the hedgehog versus the kitsune, the Ryonan versus Shohoku's ace… but you know what?

Sendoh Akira is my best friend. Yeah, that's you. You are my best friend.

That was kinda hard to admit, though.

And it's an awful fact that we're nearly together twenty-four hours in a day, seven days a week, but guess what?

I find myself enjoying your company even if I drag you away most of the time.

And believe it or not, even if I find you annoying… I miss you at certain times of the day.

And yes, when I can't help it… I grab the phone and call you just to say…

Nothing.

It's been five years now… and counting. And sometimes I can't help but think how in the world did we end up being the best of friends. Come to think of it, you like lemons and I like strawberries. You like lemon juice when I want orange juice and you want lemon bars when I want granola bars.

On top of that, you crave for bold flicks when all I ever wanted was a sports channel. And you absurdly love your gravity defying hair when I want mine the way it is. You find fishing a lucrative hobby when my only philosophy on a worthwhile pastime in this planet is sleeping. You see, we're on opposite sides of the universe yet we live in the same house… we share the same bed… and I am your most harassed pillow.

I should've been exasperated… but on the other hand, I must admit life is incomplete without it.

Life must be incomplete without you.

It's not that I'm searching for my own bad luck and try to live with it. It's not that I want to make my life worse than it already is by living with you. I just think this misfortune that I'm in is nothing but sweet because I have you.

You as my best friend.

And yeah, sometimes those two words suck already. Because in those five years… you're not just my best friend.

You're the love of my life.

That must have sucked. Oh well…

So now I walk along the park. And today must have been Singles Awareness Day, SAD for short. Because there's nothing but heart-shaped balloons, banners that remind you that – "Hell it's Valentine's Day", a bunch of chocolates, bouquets of roses and wandering lovers making you so damn aware that you're single… and unrequited.

God must've hated me so much.

And God knows how much I hated this part of Valentine's day.

I sat down in a secluded bench which happens to be the most memorable dilapidated bench in the whole wide world. Memorable because this is where we used to hang-out. Memorable because we named this as the SenRu spot.

And this is where I patiently wait for you… for five God damn years.

Five long years… too long a time. All you need to do was to open you eyes, and see that I am here… and I'm not just a friend.

And five years is a long time… by this time I must've gathered the courage to tell you that I love you. To tell you how special you are to me on this very special day… which happens to be your birthday too.

But tell me, how courageous is giving a stupid letter and telling you to come here at our spot if you love me more than just a friend?

No, you don't have to tell me… I know that sucked.

But still, I'm here.

And still, I'm waiting.

Its 7 now… and I can see shadows of lovers who ain't got money to rent a room for Christ's sake. I can already see the city lights burning with love and hear some mushy words that gives me chills amidst the harshly blowing wind. God must really want me to know that I'm single… because minute after minute, it's getting colder.

Colder because you haven't come.

I hugged myself tighter and slowly closed my eyes. Sleeping must have been more lucrative than this. But before I drift into a peaceful slumber, I heard raging footsteps… and it must've been yours because the moment it stopped, I heard your breaths…

"Gomen ne, Kae-chan. I got lost." And I should've known better. Because not only is Sendoh Akira the record-holder of being late, he owns the top spot on being lost.

"Better late than never, though." You added.

And now I don't know what to say. You came… though late, what comes next?

"You came." Was all I permitted myself to say. And you don't have to tell me that I sucked all the more.

But you inched closer, being the world-renowned flirt that you had always been, "Yeah, and you waited…" was your playful reply.

"So…" I said, inching a little closer.

"Do we need so many words?" You came to ask.

And I must say, "You know I love you, Akira."

"And now you know I love you too."

For those five years, this I have come to learn – love is not merely passion or desire. It's not just a spark neither is it the flame. Love is a decision. We love because we choose to love.

It was my choice to love Sendoh Akira amidst the differences. He may be clumsy, he irritates the hell out of me greatly, he's my stable surface, alright but we live in different poles of the earth but beyond that I was that one I chose to love.

I chose to love and I decided to feel love for Sendoh Akira, not to anyone else.

And my love for Sendoh Akira is not just fate. I didn't just love him because it came to happen. I love him because I chose to do so. And nothing can break that especially now that he chose to come here and decided to love me too.

"It's your birthday today, Aki…" I said as I held him tight against me.

"Happy Birthday." I said giving him a peck on his forehead.

_You know, it's Valentine's Day alright. _

"So, where's my gift?"

_It's Akira's birthday, that's for sure._

"It's also Valentine's Day today… so where's my gift?"

_It's still Singles Awareness Day…_

"Okay… we're even. Maybe we could just eat lemon bars at home."

_But the difference is…_

"Lemon bars it is but I want orange juice…"

"Okay then, let's head home."

_From this point on in our lives…_

"Aki…"

"Yeah?"

_I'm not single anymore._

"I love you."

And you kissed me.

**The End**

February 15-16, 2005  
11:00 PM - 12:46 AM


End file.
